2015 Crozes Hermitage
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Tasting notes
Deep ruby. Smoke-tinged tinged boysenberry, cola and violet aromas show good clarity and a subtle hint of olive. Sweet and broad in the mouth, offering energetic black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors, along with a suggestion of cracked pepper. The long, persistent finish shows bright minerally cut, an echo of sappy blue fruit and dusty tannins that add firming grip.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Moving to the reds and the larger production cuvée from Crozes, the 2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine comes all from vineyards around Mercurol and Tain, and spent 12 months in used demi-muids. It's a much more forward, supple, sexy wine than the more concentrated Gaby cuvée and has lots of black and blue fruits, leafy herbs, spice and potpourri aromas and flavors. I love its charming, mouthfilling style, it has top-notch purity, and is a great value that shows how strong 2015 was for the Crozes region. This was another terrific lineup of wine from owner/winemaker Florent Vale. Pulling from roughly 13 hectares in Crozes-Hermitage (mostly around the villages of Mercurol and Tain) and just under two hectares in Hermitage, Laurent’s wines see a traditional vinification followed by aging mostly in older demi-muids, with new oak kept to around 20% for most of the cuvées. These are classic, textbook examples of their appellations and the 2015s are beautiful across the board.
If anything, the 2015 Crozes Hermitage comes across as almost too easy-drinking for such a powerful, concentrated vintage. Savory tar, charred wood and black olive notes are followed by a creamy and plush texture. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.
Tank sample. Purple. Quite savagely ripe on the nose. Sweet start and a tad rubbery. Not quite as fleshy as my favourite 2015s from this appellation. Finishes a bit suddenly. Tarry. (JR)